What kind of music do I like?

I always have to think a little bit before I answer when I am asked what sort of music I like or listen to. I usually wind up answering with "stupid metal", since I realize not many of the people I talk to listen to my type of music, and would probably categorize it as "stupid metal". Anyways, I thought about it, and here are some songs that I like to listen to, linked to YouTube (some live, some not) for everyone to appreciate.

• Stockholm Syndrome by Muse. Characterized by some "fuzzy" guitar, fairly high-ranged (in some parts falsetto) vocals, and a change of tempo in parts of the song. Muse is described as Wikipedia as "New Prog", "Alternative Rock", and "Progressive Rock".
  
  
• A Better Lie by Pitchshifter (I'm sorry, you'll have to settle for a DBZ video). Some effects on the guitar. The drums are very involved (lots of electronica-type percussion). Again, there's a distinct change in tempo during the song. The vocals are fairly gravelly and admittedly not the least repetitive thing in the song. Pitchshifter is described by Wikipedia as "nu metal, industrial rock, industrial metal".
  
  
• The Bending by Hopesfall. The guitars are layered at times and much more than generic power chord progressions. The drums are quite unpredictable and add a lot to the song, in my opinion. The vocals switch between classic cat-in-a-blender screamo, and something a bit more melodic, overlapping with backing vocals. The guitars play some dissonant tones at points (~2:10). Hopesfall is described by Wikipedia as "Rock, Melodic Hardcore, Post-hardcore".
  
  
• New Noise by Refused (you might want to skip to just after the first minute). Basic, repeating riff at the start of the song. Mostly screaming vocals during the chorus, and mostly talking during the verses. Guitars are mostly basic chords during the chorus, along with the repeating riff throughout. Drums aren't anything to write home about, but fairly varied through the different parts of the song. Refused is described by wikipedia as "Hardcore punk, Post-hardcore, Alternative metal".
  
  
• Under A Glass Moon by Dream Theater. Keyboards and guitar bring the song in, with some great drumming near the start. I really like the alternating drum patterns in 1:06-1:20 and also during the chorus at 2:09-2:36. DT supposedly has one of the better drummers out there and it shows. Definitely lots of tempo changes. The vocals are high-range, and I guess it also falls in the falsetto range at some parts. Dream Theater is described by Wikipedia as "Progressive metal, Progressive rock".
  
  
• Deliverance by Opeth. A very mellow guitar intro, leading into mellow vocals, delivered on an odd rhythm that seems to carry though most of the song. At 1:44 and 2:02 we get some dissonant guitar chords. At 2:23 we get some screamy vocals that are closer to death metal than screamo. Around 3:28 we get a completely new rhythm and a key change, and back to more melodic vocals. The song ends a bit early, but I didn't want to find and analyze the full 13 minute song. Wikipedia describes Opeth as "Progressive metal, Progressive death metal, Progressive rock".

Well there you have it. According to Wikipedia, I listen to progressive rock and metal with some post-hardcore. I hope you enjoyed delving into my musical tastes! So, what kind of music do you listen to?

Listening to... Blindside - Eye of the Storm (no good version for it on YouTube)
Link of the moment... Of course, every now and then I like to listen to something random (pun intended).

Reading week? More like...BLEEDING week...yeah.

Well this is my reading week, but I've had a lot of work tacked on to me, so I've had to spend a good part of it working. Two loads of marking, two assignments (one in TeX), a lecture to prepare, and my usual commitment of trying to find a research topic. I think I've found out so far that research just isn't my thing.

Well, another lonesome valentine's day has passed. If I recall correctly, it was a pretty lousy day for me. I've been having more lousy days than normal lately. I just don't really look forward to anything anymore. I live every day thinking "alright, if I sludge through today, maybe things will be better tomorrow". I miss the life I was leading when I was in Waterloo. I got out of the house more often, and enjoyed spending time with all my friends there. To be honest, I don't really enjoy the time I spend with my friends here. Sure, it beats doing nothing, but it just doesn't have the same feeling as when I hung out with my old roommies.

[Edit: Alright, alright, that sounds a bit malicious. I guess what I really meant to say is that I miss hanging out with my roommies because after spending so much time with them, my personality changed, and after hanging out with them for so long, I feel like I'm not really being "myself" when I'm hanging out with my friends in Thunder Bay. Besides Adam, who I only see on the weekends, I don't really have anyone here that I feel I can just be myself around.]

Speaking of which, John was in town this previous weekend for "Family Day" (what a lame name for a holiday). I had fun hanging out with him this weekend. I played lots of games over the weekend with him and his parents, including 7 hands of euchre. To be honest though, playing euchre with his mom is like being skinned alive. She never retains any of the rules of the game. Sure, I understand if you can't remember the order of trump if you're just starting, but she's played at least a dozen games now. On Saturday night, I went to John's house along with Adam and we played "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" with John's cousin Dina. Well, apparently I am indeed smarter than a fifth grader cause I won the game. After that we played Balderdash (well, Ultimate Balderdash to be honest). It turns out that John is the best Balderdasher among us, and it was a close game for second, with Dina coming out on top in the last round, and Adam and I tying for third. Overall good times!

We had a game of Risk 2210 that spanned the last 2 games nights. I enjoyed it, but it would be much better playing with people that actually wanted to play. It felt like Chanel was just going through the motions, making truces with everyone possible. I guess it kind of worked for her, but on the last turn she could have easily taken over lots more territory, but didn't. I think she's too impatient for a game as long as Risk 2210. By the end of the game, I was left with 3 territories and no chance to win, but for some reason, Sheena saw it fit to try to obliterate me (even though doing so would give her no real benefit). Luckily I got some good dice rolls to secure my 9 point last place (the next lowest was around 20 I think).

In an effort to try to veer my life off its current path, I've asked someone out on a movie date. You can argue all you want that asking via email is a coward's way out, but I think it's better than phoning someone up and putting them on the spot, as well as not putting me at risk of saying something stupid. If this was someone I see in person regularly, I'd ask face-to-face, but I don't have that luxury.

Listening to... Matchbook Romance - The Greatest Fall
Link of the moment... Funny little video